This month, Floof and Sport is celebrating its second anniversary!
For the past two years, Tomb Raider fans have been treated in regular
comics featuring two versions of Lara; "Classic" (Sport) and "Reboot" (Floof) interacting in fun and unusual situations. The person behind those
comics is the wonderful Jar Cup (Twitter: @Jar_Cup) who joined the
community with Tomb Raider (2013).
The comics are light-hearted and celebrates the variations of Lara that have been created over the years in a positive way and without any real favouritism. There's the occasional cheeky jab at one of the characters, but it feels equally balanced, and done with admiration; whether it's Reboot's clumsiness or Sport's "stiff upper lip" attitude.
As a result it cuts through the "which iteration of Lara is better" debates with humour, underlining that while they are different, their similarities and perspectives is what makes them interesting. One reason why I love Jar Cup's work is because it takes that traditional debate and turns it on its head; it's so often the case that a lot of the conversation revolving around that discussion position the protagonists as enemies, that it's a Lara v Lara situation. What Jar Cup does brilliantly is portray the characters as being friends, allowing for funny digs to be made without the situation feeling mean.
The jokes are tied together by sweet drawings of the two characters, line-art designs which capture the personalities and attitudes perfectly and gives the comic an iconic style. The series has also gained a fanbase and are occasionally and lovingly portrayed in real life by cosplay ambassadors @NukuNukuDash and @pfangirl. It's a well-loved series and for good reason with hilarious visuals and feel-good jokes.
We recently spoke to Jar Cup to learn more about the story behind Floof and Sport and what inspired the creator:
Tell us a little about yourself!
Well, I’m an artist currently studying animation. I’ve been a fan of Tomb Raider and have been in the fandom for about 5 years now, starting with the reboot back in 2013.
.
What inspired you to create Floof and Sport Twitter page?
Ever since I got into Tomb Raider, I’ve always had the idea of making a parody comic series. Even way back in 2013, I had an idea for a comic series of all Lara’s, from each game, all living together in one Croft manor. I only made one comic of it, and honestly, it hasn’t aged very well! Actually, Floof and Sport is originally from Tumblr! I came up with the initial idea back in October of 2016, and funny enough the 2 year anniversary is pretty close by! I remember I wanted to improve my skill with ink pens, so I decided to try to draw a joke comic about Rise of the Tomb Raider with just ink and no pencils. So Floof came first, then I wanted to make classic Lara. While drawing Sport, I thought to myself: they should be friends and go on silly adventures. Which finally led to the parody comic series that I’ve always wanted to make since 2013, but this time I had more experience with the fandom. I saw how divided it was, so I wanted to specifically make a series that everyone from the fandom could enjoy. No biases. The number one rule with Floof and Sport is that they’re best friends. They don’t always see eye to eye, neither are perfect, but they’re friends.
How long did it take you to create the character’s looks? Was it an instantaneous thing or did you create several iterations of the characters?
I wanted to break them down to their most basic shapes. Make them simple, but still easily recognizable. Designing them was almost instantaneous. Sport has stayed mostly the same, while Floof did go through a few changes. Floof originally wore her Remnant jacket from Rise of the Tomb Raider, but I changed it to her usual tank top because it was easier to draw, and it was more recognizable as reboot Lara. Over time while making the comics, little things changed here and there until how you see them now!
.
You’ve been running the page for a while now, how do you continually find new material for your comics?
I get my ideas either from whatever my brain comes up with, or from talking to other people. I can’t take all the credit! If someone else is involved with the idea of a comic, I tag them in the post to credit them. If it sounds funny, I’ll probably make a comic about it. The games, movies, books, etc., are so full of awesome stuff, I’ve barely scratched the surface with what can be created.
What motivates you to continue the project?
Sharing a joke and seeing people’s reactions to it is motivation enough for me to be honest. All the support from other fans of Tomb Raider, is what really keeps me going with the series.
What’s your favourite Tomb Raiding memory?
That’s a tough one! My favorite right now might be when I played the ending of Shadow of the Tomb Raider for the first time. That was very emotional to me. Seeing the concept art of all three reboot games scroll by in the credits felt like looking into five years of my life. What it’s all led up to. Without Tomb Raider my life could’ve been totally different, who knows. I feel like I grew alongside Lara. I went through some crazy stuff over the past few years, but she was always there. I was learning and she was learning. I’m still learning, but I think she’s still learning too. And because of that connection, I met some absolutely wonderful people from this fandom. People who have been such a huge support through the years. I know we like to joke about the fandom being garbage, but it’s actually really lovely and I’m truly thankful to be a part of it.
A huge thank you to Jar Cup for the interview! For more Floof and Sport, make sure to follow their Twitter page at @Tomb_Raiderers!
The comics are light-hearted and celebrates the variations of Lara that have been created over the years in a positive way and without any real favouritism. There's the occasional cheeky jab at one of the characters, but it feels equally balanced, and done with admiration; whether it's Reboot's clumsiness or Sport's "stiff upper lip" attitude.
 |
| Created by Jar Cup. |
As a result it cuts through the "which iteration of Lara is better" debates with humour, underlining that while they are different, their similarities and perspectives is what makes them interesting. One reason why I love Jar Cup's work is because it takes that traditional debate and turns it on its head; it's so often the case that a lot of the conversation revolving around that discussion position the protagonists as enemies, that it's a Lara v Lara situation. What Jar Cup does brilliantly is portray the characters as being friends, allowing for funny digs to be made without the situation feeling mean.
The jokes are tied together by sweet drawings of the two characters, line-art designs which capture the personalities and attitudes perfectly and gives the comic an iconic style. The series has also gained a fanbase and are occasionally and lovingly portrayed in real life by cosplay ambassadors @NukuNukuDash and @pfangirl. It's a well-loved series and for good reason with hilarious visuals and feel-good jokes.
We recently spoke to Jar Cup to learn more about the story behind Floof and Sport and what inspired the creator:
Tell us a little about yourself!
Well, I’m an artist currently studying animation. I’ve been a fan of Tomb Raider and have been in the fandom for about 5 years now, starting with the reboot back in 2013.
 |
| Created by Jar Cup. |
.
What inspired you to create Floof and Sport Twitter page?
Ever since I got into Tomb Raider, I’ve always had the idea of making a parody comic series. Even way back in 2013, I had an idea for a comic series of all Lara’s, from each game, all living together in one Croft manor. I only made one comic of it, and honestly, it hasn’t aged very well! Actually, Floof and Sport is originally from Tumblr! I came up with the initial idea back in October of 2016, and funny enough the 2 year anniversary is pretty close by! I remember I wanted to improve my skill with ink pens, so I decided to try to draw a joke comic about Rise of the Tomb Raider with just ink and no pencils. So Floof came first, then I wanted to make classic Lara. While drawing Sport, I thought to myself: they should be friends and go on silly adventures. Which finally led to the parody comic series that I’ve always wanted to make since 2013, but this time I had more experience with the fandom. I saw how divided it was, so I wanted to specifically make a series that everyone from the fandom could enjoy. No biases. The number one rule with Floof and Sport is that they’re best friends. They don’t always see eye to eye, neither are perfect, but they’re friends.
How long did it take you to create the character’s looks? Was it an instantaneous thing or did you create several iterations of the characters?
I wanted to break them down to their most basic shapes. Make them simple, but still easily recognizable. Designing them was almost instantaneous. Sport has stayed mostly the same, while Floof did go through a few changes. Floof originally wore her Remnant jacket from Rise of the Tomb Raider, but I changed it to her usual tank top because it was easier to draw, and it was more recognizable as reboot Lara. Over time while making the comics, little things changed here and there until how you see them now!
 |
| Created by Jar Cup. |
.
You’ve been running the page for a while now, how do you continually find new material for your comics?
I get my ideas either from whatever my brain comes up with, or from talking to other people. I can’t take all the credit! If someone else is involved with the idea of a comic, I tag them in the post to credit them. If it sounds funny, I’ll probably make a comic about it. The games, movies, books, etc., are so full of awesome stuff, I’ve barely scratched the surface with what can be created.
What motivates you to continue the project?
Sharing a joke and seeing people’s reactions to it is motivation enough for me to be honest. All the support from other fans of Tomb Raider, is what really keeps me going with the series.
 |
| Created by Jar Cup. |
What’s your favourite Tomb Raiding memory?
That’s a tough one! My favorite right now might be when I played the ending of Shadow of the Tomb Raider for the first time. That was very emotional to me. Seeing the concept art of all three reboot games scroll by in the credits felt like looking into five years of my life. What it’s all led up to. Without Tomb Raider my life could’ve been totally different, who knows. I feel like I grew alongside Lara. I went through some crazy stuff over the past few years, but she was always there. I was learning and she was learning. I’m still learning, but I think she’s still learning too. And because of that connection, I met some absolutely wonderful people from this fandom. People who have been such a huge support through the years. I know we like to joke about the fandom being garbage, but it’s actually really lovely and I’m truly thankful to be a part of it.
A huge thank you to Jar Cup for the interview! For more Floof and Sport, make sure to follow their Twitter page at @Tomb_Raiderers!
0 comments:
Post a Comment